The Imperfect is often called the
Descriptive
Past Tense because we "describe or set scenes" using the Imperfect Tense.

The Imperfect handles three different Past tense constructions in English:

I studied at Ohlone College. (we don't know
if I finished or not.)

I used to study at Ohlone College.

I was studying at Ohlone college. (Describing or Setting the scene)

It is important to note that we use the
Imperfect to indicate we "were doing" something. In other words, we use the Imperfect to say:

I was studying
last night, while Susana was watching television

Yo estudiaba anoche mientras
que Susana miraba la televisión.

Do not use the Past Progressive (Estar
+
"-ing") to say this. The Past Progressive (like the Present Progressive) carries a sense of immediacy: I was "in that moment, just in the middle of " doing something at an exact moment in time; or emphasis: What "the heck were they doing"?

The Imperfect past tense
endings:

AR VERBS (ALL)

IR/ER VERBS

Yo

aba

ía

Tú

abas

ías

Él,
ella, usted

aba

ía

Nosotros

ábamos

íamos

Ellos

aban

ían

Note: for -ir and -er verbs, the
"í" of the Imperfect past tense always carries an accent
as well as the "á" of the Nosotros form of the
-ar verbs!

Examples:

Yo

Tú

Él, ella, usted

Nosotros

Ellos

Hablar

hablaba

hablabas

hablaba

hablábamos

hablaban

Comer

comía

comías

comía

comíamos

comían

Vivir

vivía

vivías

vivía

vivíamos

vivían

There are only three verbs that
are irregular in the Imperfect: Ser,
Ir, and Ver